Hundreds visit her gravesite each year. The Queen of the Gypsies is Mississippi royalty

MERIDIAN - A small cemetery in Lauderdale County is the final resting place of the Queen and King of the Gypsies. How they got there is a story of misfortune, acceptance and an ice house.

Little seems to be known about Kelly Mitchell's early life, including her maiden name. According to a publication produced by the Lauderdale County Department of Archives and History, she was born in Brazil around 1868. It is thought her mother was a Brazilian native who married into a tribe of Romani people, more commonly known today as Gypsies.

The grave of Kelly Mitchell, Queen of the Gypsies, is covered in beads, coins and other gifts left by visitors who have been visiting her grave for 104 years.(Photo11: Brian Broom/Clarion Ledger)

At some point in her life, she migrated to America and married Emil Mitchell. Emil became King of the Gypsies in America in 1909 when his father, who was king, died. And Kelly became queen.

When people think of royalty, visions of palaces and castles probably come to mind, but that's not the case when you're King and Queen of the Gypsies. They traveled around the country in their wagon and lived a nomadic lifestyle.

"They would stop at certain places at certain times," said Ann McKee, a Meridian storyteller who has researched Gypsies. "They didn't just randomly travel.

"They had roadmaps just like we do. They stopped in towns that were friendly to them."

Meridian was one of those towns.

"This town accepted them," McKee said. "People would crowd downtown to see them parade through in their wagons.

"They were very colorful and artfully decorated. They were very proud of them. Whenever they stopped they would get little odd jobs around town. The women would tell fortunes."

Although some had a reputation for stealing, McKee said not all Gypsies were thieves.

Ann McKee and Ward Calhoun talk about the life of Kelly Mitchell, Queen of the Gypsies, beside her grave at Rose Hill Cemetery in Meridian.(Photo11: Brian Broom/Clarion Ledger)

"I think what people are missing is they were family-oriented people," McKee said. "They were working people."

On Jan. 31, 1915, Kelly and Emil were in Coatopa, Alabama. She was giving birth to their 14th or 15th child. According to records, she was having difficulty and a doctor was summoned, but she died.

The death of a queen presented a challenge in those days. Communication among Gypsies was slow, travel was slow and they were spread across the country. Getting them together would take time.

"When she died he had to preserve her to get everybody together," said Ward Calhoun, manager of the Lauderdale County Department of Archives and History. "He needed electricity or ice. Meridian was the closest place with an ice house."

The Queen's funeral was held on Feb. 12 and according to the Meridian Dispatch newspaper, over 5,000 people attended. The article also gave a detailed account of her as she lay in state.

"At one side of the parlors, with candelabra at the head and foot stands the magnificent silver-trimmed metallic casket. Hermetically sealed within, in all the barbaric splendor of a medieval queen lies Mrs. Callie (Kelly) Mitchell, Queen of the Gypsies of America. The swarthy face with its high cheekbones is typical of the Romany tribes and the head, the upper portion of which is covered with bright silken drapery pinned at the back with pins, rests upon a cushion of filmy silk and satin. The hair is braided Gypsy fashion and the dark tresses shine. The body was attired in a royal robe of Gypsy green and other bright colors contrasting vividly with the somber hues usual under such circumstances."

Although the article states there were more than 5,000 attending the funeral, McKee said many more came to see her before the funeral. The total number of those who came to see her was estimated to be 20,000. According to the World Population Review, that was roughly the equivalent of the population of Meridian.

Her body was taken from St. Paul's Episcopal Church to Rose Hill Cemetery for a burial service. According to McKee, a second graveside service was conducted at midnight for Gypsies only. In 1942, she was joined by her husband.

The days of Gypsy caravans passing through Meridian have ended. Calhoun said the last time he saw them was in the mid-1950's camped near downtown in modern campers pulled by Desoto cars. But the Queen of the Gypsies hasn't been forgotten.

Hundreds visit her grave each year and it is typically covered with beads, coins, trinkets and other gifts people leave, McKee said. Many visitors are tourists who are passing through. Others are descendants of tribal members.

"It's usually four or five in a car," McKee said. "They stand by her grave very reverently.

"They believe if you leave a memento, she will come to you in your dreams and solve your problems."

Her grave is also the highlight of a cemetery tour held on the last Saturday in September where actors dress as some of the notable people buried there and tell their stories. McKee said 700-800 people attend the event annually.

Meridian is likely the only city in the state where a modern-day queen is buried and McKee said the city is called The Queen City in part due to Kelly Mitchell. It's something McKee takes pride in.